Category Science & Technology

Shared computing grid cuts data mountains down to size

May 10, 2005

Although University of Wisconsin–Madison professors Wesley Smith and David Schwartz operate in completely different scientific spheres - one seeking to explore the fundamental properties of matter and the other trying to wrest free the secrets of the human genome - both have the same dilemma: They are awash in a sea of data.

Distributing computing resources: The social challenge

May 10, 2005

By bringing together a diverse group of scientific interests to share a large, distributed computing resource, the Grid Laboratory of Wisconsin (GLOW) itself has become an important subject of research.

Can I get a copy of that molecule? Biology goes 3-D with new technology

May 4, 2005

In an era of quantum dots and genome maps, science education faces an interesting challenge: How can students come to grips with the complexity of the infinitesimally small? The answer: Fire up the copy machine.

Laser scientist illuminates research in living color

April 28, 2005

In art, color is information. Just look at a painting by an artist such as Monet: Each uniquely hued brushstroke brings to life a new blade of grass, a leaf, a flower petal, a slice of sky-each a component of the complete picture.

Researchers devise nano-scale method for investigating living systems

April 28, 2005

By observing how tiny specks of crystal move through the layers of a biological membrane, a team of electrical and computer engineers and biologists has devised a new method for investigating living systems on the molecular level.

Wisconsin researchers identify sleep gene

April 27, 2005

Zeroing in on the core cellular mechanisms of sleep, researchers at University of Wisconsin Medical School have identified for the first time a single gene mutation that has a powerful effect on the amount of time fruit flies sleep.

Plant pathway may treat human disease

April 25, 2005

A newly discovered pathway by which cells protect themselves from a toxic byproduct of photosynthesis may hold important implications for bioenergy sources, human and plant disease, and agricultural yields, a team of UW–Madison bacteriologists announced Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Citizen panel to release report April 28 on nanotechnology

April 22, 2005

University of Wisconsin officials will join state legislators in the Assembly Parlor of the State Capitol building on Thursday, April 28, at 11:30 a.m. to accept a report on the promise and perils of nanotechnology produced by a panel of Madison-area citizens.

Bioethicists to ponder biotechnology and the brain

April 12, 2005

Researchers at UW–Madison will be featured among several experts gathering at the Fourth Annual International Bioethics Forum on Thursday and Friday, April 21 and 22, to discuss a range of ethical issues.

Harnessing microbes, one by one, to build a better nanoworld

March 17, 2005

Taking a new approach to the painstaking assembly of nanometer-sized machines, a team of scientists at UW–Madison has successfully used single bacterial cells to make tiny bio-electronic circuits.

To control germs, scientists deploy tiny agents provocateurs

March 14, 2005

Aiming to thwart persistent bacterial infections and better control group behaviors of certain microorganisms, scientists are creating artificial chemicals that infiltrate and sabotage bacterial "mobs."

Small molecule may help pinpoint some cancers

March 8, 2005

Writing in the March 8 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, groups led by Medical School Professor James Dahlberg and his collaborator Wayne Tam, at the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University, report that elevated cellular levels of a particular microRNA, known as miR-155, may be diagnostic of some human cancers, notably lymphomas.

Study finds two brain systems regulate how people call for help

March 8, 2005

The willingness to call out in distress to get help from others appears to be regulated by two brain systems with very different responsibilities, according to a study by researchers at UW–Madison.

Geochemical technique yields biomedical promise

December 17, 2004

Adapting a technique used routinely by geologists to measure the chemical composition of rocks, scientists may have found a better way to sample bone calcium balance in humans.

Biotechnology training grant is renewed

December 3, 2004

A National Institutes of Health grant that promotes graduate training in biotechnology has been renewed for an additional five years, according to bacteriologist Timothy Donohue, who directs the program.

Wisconsin poised to invest $750 million in biomedical research

November 20, 2004

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, taking a swing at keeping Wisconsin competitive in the superheated world of biomedical research, announced today (Nov. 17) that over the next several years Wisconsin would invest up to $750 million, including more than $500 million in new facilities and direct research support for scientists at UW–Madison.

UW Board of Regents approves Healthstar research facility

November 5, 2004

Construction of a $133.9 million Interdisciplinary Research Complex, which will replace outdated research facilities and unify the University of Wisconsin–Madison Medical School on the west campus, won approval Friday (Nov. 5) from the UW System Board of Regents.

Horticulturist goes in search of a sweeter onion

October 28, 2004

The future looks rosy for the pungent bulb, says Michael Havey of the Department of Horticulture.

Gene from 1918 virus proves key to virulent influenza

October 6, 2004

Using a gene resurrected from the virus that caused the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, recorded history's most lethal outbreak of infectious disease, scientists have found that a single gene may have been responsible for the devastating virulence of the virus.

New program simplifies growers’ access to potato varieties

September 16, 2004

With guidance from Wisconsin's potato growers, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) has launched a streamlined licensing program for seed potato farmers who wish to cultivate and sell varieties developed by the potato-breeding program at UW–Madison.